Socket contacts are known for mating with a pin contact of an electrical device. Some known socket contacts have a body with a generally tubular base and contact beams which extend from the base at circumferentially spaced-apart locations around the base. The beams converge for mating engagement with a pin contact which is inserted along an axis between the beams. These socket contacts may be made by stamping and forming, drawing, or screw machine methods, but in all cases, material is removed from the body to define the spaced-apart contact beams.
A socket contact for use with coaxial cable is required to mate with different center conductors that can have large variations in diameter. Previously, a known socket contact sold by AMP Incorporated of Harrisburg, Pa. has been made from a beryllium-copper material that provides resiliency and spring characteristics required for mating with conductors over a wide range of sizes. A problem exists in that the beryllium-copper material is relatively expensive, thereby making the socket contact expensive to produce. Further, this socket contact is required to fit in a small dimensional envelope, so the contact beams are relatively short and fragile. This limits the amount of deflection which the contact beams can accept before they are damaged by overstress.
Another problem exists for a socket contact having beams which may be-plated with either tin or gold. The tin-plated beams must exert a greater normal force on a mating pin contact than the gold-plated beams. U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,916 discloses a socket contact having tapered beams, and the degree of taper is selected in accordance with the plating on the beams to provide a desired normal force on the mating pin contact. However, this socket contact can only accommodate a pin contact having a specific diameter, and multiple socket contacts having beams with different tapers are needed to accommodate a range of pin diameters.
There is a need for a socket contact which will permit use of a different, less expensive material while maintaining the ability to accommodate mating pin contacts in a wide range of sizes.